Laura's experience in France

In January 2022, I began a wonderful adventure at Catfarm, a community in the south of France: an ESC project dedicated to reforestation.
During the project, I had the opportunity to live several precious experiences. First of all, I learned how to plant trees in a conscious and sustainable way, through a holistic approach that allowed us not only to take care of the plant and nourish people with fruit trees, but also to restore the soil and the surrounding ecosystem.

This activity allowed me to reconnect with nature, with my body, and with the importance of giving back to the Earth (with love, presence, patience and energy) what we so often take from it by exploiting it relentlessly. I was able to fully understand this thanks to the kindness, dedication, support and availability of both the Catfarm volunteers and those from La Forêt Globale, the association that collaborated with Catfarm on this project.

For me, it was a truly healing experience, one that helped me calm my mind and find peace through contact with nature and through the idea of taking care. But this adventure was also much more than that. Living at Catfarm allowed me to experience community life in a place where the focus is on sustainability in many different ways:
from an ecological point of view (solar panels, DIY biodegradable products, food waste recovery, upcycling, permaculture gardening…),
from a social perspective (use of Nonviolent Communication, empathic listening, consent-based workshops…),
and from a cultural and personal perspective (creating a non-judgmental safe space, placing personal well-being at the center, individual and group support, and encouraging self-responsibility).

I was able to experience all of this fully, as we ESC volunteers were considered a natural part of the community. We were able to learn practices and knowledge, take on roles, propose solutions, and participate in moments of community life without any distinction or discrimination linked to being ESC volunteers. I truly perceived the community as a family and Catfarm as a home.

I also learned that even in moments of tiredness or tension, where there is communication and mutual support, it is possible to find creative solutions, grow, and move forward together beyond obstacles and potential difficulties. This was also made possible thanks to the mentoring activities offered by Catfarm to us ESC volunteers, both at the beginning of the project—to help us integrate immediately into the place, the activities and the group dynamics—and throughout the ESC, through moments of reflection and feedback.

Of course, there were also many moments of connection, fun and exploration. I smile when I think back to the “soup festival” in Poussan, where the ESC group competed (and won!) with our “anti-food-waste” soups against other local associations, or to the Poussan carnival, where we enthusiastically dressed up as trees and proudly paraded as “reforesters.” These were precious moments of celebration, but also of connection with and discovery of the local communities.

Not to mention the board game nights, open mic events and workshops that we helped energize and took part in, feeling free to be ourselves—showing our most precious and playful sides, but also our most fragile ones—while feeling accepted and recognized.

Now that this ESC has come to an end, I am deeply grateful to have been part of this adventure. I can’t wait to continue giving relief to the Earth (and to myself) by planting more trees. I still feel deeply connected to the community, and I know that Catfarm will always remain a second home for me.